English Teacher in Saudi Arabia
Discovering Bahrain
June 2015
After working in Saudi Arabia for a 6 month period, our company sent us to Bahrain for a visa run, where we spent a lovely 10 days exploring downtown Manama, the Bahrain fort museum, the Coral Bay corniche, and the marina ... whilst waiting for our visa .... which in the end never came, but nevertheless a fantastic all paid trip in the jewel of the Gulf.
Even though it's small, cramped and always bustling with activity, there are many mini hide-outs of peace and calm to escape to on the island. Bahrain is a mixture of modern and old, traditional and progressive, superficial and authentic, a place where everyone can find something to satisfy his or her travel taste buds.
In this post, I look specifically at the Bahrain fort museum
Also, view here the rest of my Bahrain experiences:
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| Bahrain fort museum - view of the beach from the coffee shop |
About Bahrain
The Kingdom of Bahrain is a Middle Eastern archipelago in the Persian Gulf, tucked into a pocket of the sea flanked by Saudi Arabia and Qatar. It's an oasis of social liberalism – or at least Western-friendly moderation – among the Muslim countries of the region. It's popular with travelers for its authentic "Arabness" but without the strict application of Islamic law upon its non-Muslim minority.
Bahrain is the smallest country in GCC, and has often had to walk a diplomatic tightrope in relation to its larger neighbors. The country has few oil reserves, but it has established itself as a hub for refining as well as international banking, while also achieving a socially liberal (by Gulf standards at least) monarchy. Its economy depends to a small extent on Saudis interested in a little entertainment, not available in the strictly Islamic Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
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| Bahrain fort museum - View of ocean sitting at the coffee shop |
The Qal'at al-Bahrain (Bahrain fort museum)
The Qal'at al-Bahrain, also known as the Bahrain Fort or Fort of Bahrain and previously as the Portugal Fort (Qal'at al Portugal) is an archaeological site located in Bahrain, on the Arabian Peninsula.
Archaeological excavations carried out since 1954 have unearthed antiquities from an artificial mound of 12 m height, containing 7 stratified layers, created by various occupants from 2300 BC up to the 18th century, including Kassites, Greeks, Portuguese and Persians. It was once the capital of the Dilmun civilization and was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005 (Wikipedia).
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| Bahrain fort museum - Coffee shop & beach |
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| Bahrain fort museum - Coffee shop & beach |
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| Bahrain fort museum - view of the beach |
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| Bahrain fort museum - Coffee shop & fort ruins |
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| Bahrain fort museum - sunset view |
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| Bahrain fort museum - sunset view |
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| Little oasis next to the coffee shop |
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| Tea at the Coffee shop |
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| Bahrain fort museum - Coffee shop & fort ruins |
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| Carrot cake |
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| Bahrain fort museum - View of ocean sitting at the coffee shop |
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| Bahrain fort museum - View of ocean sitting at the coffee shop |
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| Bahrain fort museum - View of Bahrain skyline towards the back of the coffee shop |
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| Bahrain fort museum - Coffee shop |
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| Bahrain fort museum - Coffee shop |
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| Bahrain fort museum - Coffee shop |
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| Sunset view of the ocean through an entrance |
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| Sunset ocean view from the coffee shop |
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| Sunset ocean view from the coffee shop |
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| Coffee shop from fort ruin area |
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| Ansu and I - Bahrain fort museum |
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| Ansu - Bahrain fort museum |
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| Ansu - Bahrain fort museum |
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| Ocean view from Coffee-shop |
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| Ocean and beach view from Coffee-shop |
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| Coffee shop seating area |
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| Coffee shop from fort ruins area |
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| Coffee shop & Bahrain skyline from fort ruins area |
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| Coffee shop & Bahrain skyline from fort ruins area |
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| Bahrain skyline from fort ruins area |
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| Bahrain skyline from fort ruins area |
